Heating means for lubricant dispensers



Oct. 31, 1933. c. G. WILSON 1,

HEATING MEANS FOR LUBRICANT DISPENSERS Filed NOV. 26, 1930 Patented Oct. 31, 1933 HEATING MEANS FOR LUBRICANT DISPENSERS Charles G. Wilson, BryanfOhio, assignor to The Aro Equipment Corporation, Bryan, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application November 26, 1930 Serial No. 498,356 1 s olaim's. o1. 22147.1)

An object of my present invention is to provide a heating means for lubricant dispensers, which is simple, durable and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Still a further object is to provide a means whereby to insure a ready flow of lubricant through a discharge neck of a'receptacle of the kind used for dispensing lubricants in which a pressuregenerator or other type of dispensing mechanism receives the lubricant from the receptacle through the neck. It has always been a problem in cold weather and/or with a heavy lubricant to get the lubricant to flow readily through the neck, which must be necessarily of reduced size, because of a discharge passageway from the receptacle to the dispensing mechanism being restricted for introducing only a small quantity of lubricant to the dispensing mechanism as it is in operation.

It is therefore a further object of my invention to provid'e'a means for housing a heating unit adjacent the discharge opening through the neck of the receptacle, so that a heating unit of electrical type, for instance, may be housed therein and heat will be transmitted from it to the contents in the neck for thus heating it and reducing it to a thinner consistency, which will permit it to more readily flow through the neck. In actual experience I have found several grades of grease that cannot be readily handled through a dispenser unless the consistency thereof is thinned out temporarily.

Still a further object is to provide a heating means arranged with two heating units for giving varying degrees of heat, which are connected to three prongs, whereby a connector plug having two prong sockets may be selectively connected with the prongs for energizing either of the heating units desired from an electric supply cable.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are at- 45 tained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing. Although the invention is susceptible of a variety of embodiments, it is unnecessary to fully describe and illustrate more than one in order 'to give a full understanding Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lubricant dispenser having my improved type of heating means associated therewith, the view being taken from a level below the bottom of the dispenser.

Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing the heating units in position and including an electric diagram.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View on the line 3-3 of Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the base casting in which the heating units are mounted.

On the accompanying drawing, 1' have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate a basecasting. 79 Each corner thereof is provided with a caster wheel 12. A lubricant receptacle 14 is mounted on the base 10 and is provided with a removable cover 16 having a handlelS.

A discharge neck 20 is formed on thebase casting 10 and has a discharge passageway 22 therethrough. The neck 20 terminates in a flange 24 to which a pressure generator A is secured by cap screws or the like. A gasket 26 is interposed between the flange 24 and the pressure generator A.

The pressure generator A is a lubricant dispenser of any desired type, the one illustrated being air operated for reciprocating a plunger pin 28 througha bore 30 and thereby forcing lubricant from the passageway 22 into a discharge tube '33.

The discharge tube 33 is connected with a control handle 35 and a discharge nozzle 3'7. A

trigger 39 on the control handle 35 actuates a wire 41 for moving a control valve 43 for thereby admitting compressed airto the pressure generator A through a pipe line 45, whereby the pressure generator may be controlled as to its operation.

It may here be mentioned that considerable difficulty' has been experienced in getting some lu bricants, such as heavy gear lubricants, to flow readily through the neck passageway 22 and this is exceptionally true in cold weather. When it does not flow readily, the pressure generator A is not fed properly with lubricant and thus its 100 operation is affected. It is well known that heat applied to lubrican-twill reduce'it from a stiff consistency to a thinner consistency which will more readily flow through a passageway. I have therefore provided a construction of the neck 20 which will provide for associating heating units therewith. l

The neck 20 is provided with elongated enlargements 32 arranged on each side of the passageway 22, as best shown in Figure 2. Each 10 enlargement 32 is provided with a bore or socket 34 which are arranged at right angles to the passageway 22. Heating units 36 and 38 of tubular construction are secured to an insulating block 40 and the block 40 is secured by means of screws 42 in a pocket 44 at one end of each enlargement 32. Contact prongs 46, 4s and extend from the insulating block 40 and are electrically con-v nected with the heating coils in the heating units 36 and 38, as shown diagrammatically in Figure 2. A cover 52 is provided for the pocket 44 and is retained in position by screws 54. An electric connector plug having a pair of prong sockets is adapted to coact with either the prongs 46 and 48 or the prongs 46 and 50 desired for heating the unit 36 with a heavy current or the unit 38 with a light one, desired. Thus to meet difierent weather conditions and different consistencies of lubricant the two heating units are provided and either can be used as desired.

A slot opening 53 is provided in the cover plate 52 through which the connector plug 56 may be inserted. The ends of the enlargements 32 opposite the pocket 44 are plugged by means of plugs 60. From the foregoing description it will be obvious that I have provided a heating means which can be readily operated by plugging an extension cord onto the prongs of the heating units. The units are easily assembled in the sockets 34 provided for them and the sockets are readily formed at the time the casting 10 is made.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. A grease dispensing apparatus comprising a container for grease and a dispensing device, said container having a dished bottom terminating in a formed metal tubular discharge neck, said neck including a passageway affording communication between the container and the dispensing device, said neck having a heating unit pocket formed therein adjacent but not in communication with said passageway and a heating unit received in said pocket for thinning the consistency of grease as it passes through said passageway from said dished bottom of said container to said dispensing device, said heating element contacting with the wall of said pocket whereby said wall transmits heat directly from the heating element to the grease in said tubular neck.

2, A grease dispensing apparatus compn'sing a container for grease and a dispensing device, said containerhaving a dished bottom terminating in a metaltdischarge neck provided with a passageway formed therein and affording communication between the container and the dispensing device, said neck having a heating unit pocket also formed therein adjacent but not in communication with said passageway and a heating unit received in and substantially filling said pocket or thinning the consistency of grease as it passes through said passageway from said container to said dispensing device.

3. A grease dispensing apparatus comprising a container for grease and a dispensing device, said container having a dished bottom terminating in a reduced metallic discharge neck, said neck being provided with a passage *ay affording communication between the container and the dispensing device and a heating unit imbedded in said metallic discharge neck for majorly thinning the consistency of rease in said neck and minoriy thinning it on said bottom, as it passes from said container, across said bottom and through said metallic discharge neck to said dispensing device.

CHARLES G. WILSON. 

